Take My Hand
by xoxband-geek-4-lifexox
Summary: Caitlyn is having a really bad day and just needs to get away from everything. Can she put her faith in Nate to help her through her tough time? Read and find out! Naitlyn.
1. Chapter 1

Hello readers and people of the non-planet pluto! I am a first time author, but a long time reader. This is my first story and I hope you enjoy it as much as I liked writing it.

Just to let you know this is a teaser, I want to see how people like my stories! So leave a review telling me how you like it. If it sucks just let me know and I won't continue! That's it for now!

~xoxband-geek-4-lifexox~

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Take My Hand

Have you ever noticed that the clouds move really fast on a windy day? I never really realized this until now. I guess sitting on a park bench, crying you're eyes out can really get a person to see things clearly.

I wish I could get my parents to open up their eyes and see how unbelievably stupid they are acting lately. Maybe they need to sit on a park bench and stare at the clouds. Every word that comes out of their mouth is something that starts a fight. Their fights are so loud and they are over the silliest things, too. I constantly have the headphones of my ipod in my ears to drown out the noise. It's so bad it has driven my brother, Ethan, to move out of the house. I barely get to see him anymore. Today's fight was the worst; I bet the neighbors could hear it quite clearly. I couldn't stand it so got up and left the house. Now I am at my neighborhood park, sitting on a bench, thinking about clouds.

God! I'm losing it. I just knew this would happen. I thought it would happen later in life though, not when I'm only sixteen. I always knew hanging around Mitchie and Connect 3 would lead me to do something crazy.

Well, I guess that's what comes when your best friend is one third of the hottest boy band in America, Nate Black.

Yep, Nate Black is my best friend, we have been for years. But guess what, I'm in love with him. Yeah, how cliché, I've fallen for my best friend. What's even worse is that I will never tell him for fear of rejection because I know he could never feel the same. I mean, c'mon, he's a famous international pop star who could have anyone in the world for a girlfriend, why would he want me. We've been friends since we were babies and he has never looked at me as more than a sister so I have no chance.

"Caitlyn!"

Oh my god! Now I have totally lost it. Can you believe I'm imagining his voice while I'm thinking about him? Wow, this is so _Twilight_!

Suddenly I look up and out of nowhere comes the object of my thoughts running towards me.

"Caity!" Nate says breathlessly. Within a few more seconds he reaches me on my lonely park bench.

I look at him and instantly my heart speeds up and that weird feeling in my stomach comes back. Well, I might not be losing it, but I think I might be obsessed. I stutter out a "Hi" and curse myself mentally for acting so girly. I regain my composure and stop myself from blushing, so I can act normal. I stare down at the ground because if I look at him again, I just might lose it.

"Nate, what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for you Caity! You're parents are so worried, so was I for a little while."

I finally look up at him with my, by now, bloodshot eyes. Concern flashes across Nate's face as he takes in my appearance.

"Caitlyn, what's wrong?" he asks as he kneels down so that we are eye level.

_Everything._

"Nothing," I reply.

Nate then proceeds to give me a look that says to me, Caitlyn we are best friends and I know you better than that.

I immediately look away from him and stare up at the fast moving clouds. I look for the different shapes they form, but none of them resemble much of anything. The wind picks up and blows my hair around my face, making me wish it would just take me up to the clouds so I could float away and forget everything in my messed up life.

"Caity, please," Nate begs. "Why are you here looking so miserable?"

I spare a glance at his face and instantly regret it. His face holds so much concern for me, it's practically irresistible. I cave in like one of those girls in those mushy romance novels Mitchie is always reading. With a huge sigh I begin my story. I tell him everything, well except for my feelings towards him. I tell him how irrational my parents are being and how I wish that things could be like they used to, when we were one, big (mostly) happy family. I explain to him how their fighting is driving my brother farther and farther away from me. I even tell him how miserable this is making me and my life at home. But, through all of my ranting, Nate just sits there and listens, like he has always done when it comes to my problems.

Then as I come to the end of my explanation I look him, I mean really look at him, and I realize my main problem. My problem is my feelings for him, that's why I am so upset. This realization knocks everything out of me and I break down in tears.

Nate looks at me in surprise for a few seconds, but is doesn't last very long because suddenly I am wrapped in his arms in a comforting embrace. I sob into his chest leaving tear stains on his shirt. His hands are softly rubbing my back while he whispers words of comfort in my ear. I just keep on crying. I cry for all the years I have loved him and how I know deep down in my heart that he could never feel the same.

I am really not the type of person to cry all the time or even to share my feelings with others, but with Nate, he makes me show my true self. It just seems so easy to be myself around him, whether I am acting insanely goofy or completely serious. I have always been able to tell him anything because he is not the type of person that judges others. But, every time he is exceptionally sweet to me, I am sitting there thinking why we can't be more. Then I think back to the girlfriend he has at the moment and I immediately know why.

I regrettably pull away from our hug and go to wipe the tears from my eyes. Nate beats me to it as he gently cups my face and brushes the tears away with his thumbs. We stare into each others eyes for a moment and I swear I see something, but then he turns away and I feel upset that I would ever think he could feel the same way.

Suddenly, as if I need more of a reason to hate my life, a raindrop falls out of the sky into the palm of my hand. I look up and realize the puffy white clouds I saw earlier are no more. The have been replaced with dark, ominous clouds, the kind of clouds that produce thunderstorms.

I love the rain. Ever since I was a little girl I have loved to dance and splash in the rain. Nowadays I will just sit out in the rain enjoying the peace and trying to get away from everything around me. Today, the rain is just another reminder of how much my life is sucking right now.

I sigh and lean against Nate with my head on his shoulder. He turns his head and gives me one of his intense stares, but then turns back to his head to stare at his surroundings. We just sit there in that position for awhile, enjoying the comfort of each other's presence. I can tell that Nate is deeply in thought and for a second I wish I could hear his thoughts. I instantly regret it because he is probably thinking of some other girls who is prettier and smarter than me.

The rain is starting to come down harder now and I start to relax. I sit up, close my eyes, and let the rain fall on me. I empty my mind and listen to steady rhythm of the pouring rain. I feel the bench move from underneath me and open my eyes to see Nate standing in front of me, smiling on of his rare smiles. He holds his hand out, silently asking me to dance. Nate knows how much I love the rain and he has occasionally joined me in my rain escapades. I reach out to take his hand and smile for the first time since I have been on this dang bench.

Nate pulls me close and we begin to sway to the sound of the pattering rain. I suddenly forget all of my worries completely. As we are still swaying I let my head rest on Nate's shoulder. After a few minutes of the comfortable silence Nate begins to softly sing _When You Look Me In The Eyes._ The song may be older, but he knows it is one of my favorite songs of his. I can't help just rest there quietly, so I lift my head up and join in the song.

Suddenly, we are really dancing. We are moving and twirling around the whole park. Every so often he will spin around or lift me. Dancing with Nate just feels so right, I feel like I belong there always and I wish he would, too. Then as the end of the song nears, Nate lets go of one of my hands and spins me. He then pulls me back so that my back is against his front and his hands are wrapped securely around my waist. We stay like that and sway as we finish the last lines of the song.

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Sorry to anyone who thought this was a real update but I had a ton of mistakes I just had to fix. I promise I will be updating soon. Sorry I am so slow!


	2. Chapter 2

I am so so so sorry for taking so long to update! I have been so busy and almost forgot about it! Please forgive me!

I am going to dedicate this chapter to my good friend and author Countrygurl212! She has been so supportive of my stories and she is an amazing writer herself! Go check her out, you won't be sorry!

Oh and one more thing, I own nothing otherwise these two would be together already!

Please enjoy!

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Take My Hand – Chapter 2

The rain is steadily falling all around us. I was getting completely soaked, but I could care less. The only thing that matters is me and Nate. He and I are still swaying, locked in our tight embrace. It's beginning to get darker out and I realize I should be getting home, but I can't get myself to leave. Being here with Nate helps me see the good in life; I don't want this feeling to go away. So I relax and lean against him listening to just the pitter patter of the rain.

Nate puts his head on my shoulder and I can feel his hot breath on my ear. That, combined with the cold rain makes me shiver. He feels this and pulls me even tighter against him, as if that were possible. I close my eyes and try to keep my breathing even so I don't make Nate suspicious of my feelings for him. The silence is calming and soon the rain turns into just a mist.

"Caity?" Nate says finally breaking the silence. His voice sounds a little shaky, but I ignore it thinking that he is just a little cold.

"Yes?" I say trying to keep my voice even because his breath on my neck is making my mind go blank.

"Will you go to Homecoming with me?"

A hundred questions go around in my head. Why was he asking me, could it be because he really, truly likes me? But I thought he had a girlfriend. What happened between them? I was so confused.

Nate, probably looking at the confusion on my face, adds the words I had been dreading "We'll go as friends of course."

I feel hurt as he says these words because I just got my hopes up for nothing. He still just wants to be friends. But then something inside me just snapped. I got angry, because even though he was asking me, I was really just a last resort and I didn't want to be his second best anymore.

"No Nate, I will not go with you," I say now trying to keep my voice even for a totally different reason. As I say this I sadly break away from our embrace so I can look him clearly in the face.

He looks at me clearly puzzled, probably because every dance we have gone to where neither of us have dates, we have gone together. Well not anymore!

"I don't understand Caity. We have always gone with each other. You're my best friend!"

"Nate, that's just it! I am tired of being second best, of being just the best friend. I want a guy who will ask me to a dance because he wants to be my actual date. A guy who will get me a corsage or dance with me during slow dances or maybe even escort me home and kiss me sweetly on my front porch!"

"What are you trying to say Caity? That you don't want to be friends anymore?"

"No, of course not!

"Then what are you trying to say?"

I look down at my shoes and think just tell him Caitlyn, now is your chance. Nate steps toward me and lifts my chin up with his thumb. "Tell me what's going on, Caitlyn"

I look him straight in the eyes and I see the same thing I thought saw earlier. I finally make up my mind, plus I just cannot resist him.

"I like you, ok? The 'I want to be more than friends kind of like'. I have for a long time, but I didn't tell you because I know you could never feel the same. I know I am not at all like the other girls you date, so I knew I had no chance. This is why I have to say no to going to the dance with you, because I don't just want to be second best. I need to get over you and find someone who will actually share my feelings!"

By now I had a flood of tears streaming down my face that were mixing with the rain that was suddenly pouring down on us. The thunder and lightning had ceased leaving just the sound of water hitting the ground around me. I could barely see Nate's face, but I could tell he was deep in thought. I just knew he was trying to figure out a way to let me down gently. So I did what any self respecting girl would do in my situation, I ran. I ran past the park and into the woods behind it where I knew Nate couldn't follow me. I knew the trails better, but he would have ended up getting lost.

He had tried to grab my arm before I ran away from him, but I was too fast. I could hear him yelling my name behind me and he was saying something that sounded like "Stop, I just want to talk!" But I could not go back and face him, just to hear the words "I'm sorry, but I don't feel the same way."

As soon as I couldn't hear his voice calling my name anymore, I fell to the ground exhausted, emotionally and physically. I finally broke out into the heart wrenching sobs I had been holding in earlier. My day has just gotten a whole lot worse, something I didn't even think was possible.

How could I be so stupid! I had just ruined every hope of being close to Nate again. He was my best friend and I had just lost him. Why did I have to have feelings for him, why? I pounded my fists on the cold, wet ground and angrily screamed into the sky.

I am cold, shivering wet, and completely heartbroken. I knew I needed to get out of the rain, otherwise I would end up getting sick, but I could not go back home. I picked myself up off the ground and tried to clear all the dirt and muck off of me. I start walking because I know where I can go.

The rain has turned back into a gentle mist, and I take in a deep breath to try to stay calm. After about fifteen minutes of walking, I finally reach my destination. I ring the doorbell and hope to God she is home. The door opens and it is indeed her.

"Caitlyn!"

"Hey, Mitchie," is all that I can get out before the tears are back.

Mitchie takes in my appearance, and her eyes widen. She immediately grabs me in for a hug, and I am so grateful for the comfort. She pulls away keeping her hands on my shoulders and looks me in the eye.

"Alright, who do I have to hurt?"

"No one, well maybe. I promise I will explain but can I come inside? I just really need someone to talk to and there is nowhere I can go. My parents are fighting again." Mitchie also knows about my parents. There have been many nights where she has let me stay over at her house because she knows it's really hard for me to be around them.

"Yeah, come on in, you can borrow some of my clothes to dry off. I'll meet you upstairs.

"Mom, Caitlyn's here! Can she stay for dinner?" is all that I hear before I walk upstairs and into Mitchie's room. I take a deep breath and brace myself for the never ending questions that are sure to come from Mitchie.

It's going to be a long night.

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